Ammunition



7, 1958 F. KEMPLER 3 AMMUNITION Filed Feb. 11, 1953 2,818,81 I Patented J an. 7, 1958 AMMUNITION Application February 11, 1953, Serial No. 336,410 11 Claims. (Cl. 102-45) This invention generally relates to ammunition and more particularly to an improved type of percussive or primer fuse structure for ammunition that is specially suited to ammunition for recoilless type of fire arms.

In my co-pending patent application Serial No. 300,615 filed July 24, 1952, now abandoned, I disclosed a type of ammunition suited for firing from a gun having a trigger and breech construction wherein the firing hammer only mementarily enters the firing chamber of the gun, and wherein the firing hammer enters the firing chamber to strike the ammunition on the side thereof instead of on the end as is more conventional. In the present applica tion, I am concerned with improvements in the type of ammunition disclosed in the above noted prior patent application of mine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of'a shell casing cut away to show the construction of an improved type of primer fuse structure.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the ring of the primer fuse construction of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a ring of a primer fuse construction illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a cut away view of a shell casing showing an alternative primer fuse construction.

Figure 5 is a sectional view showing a piece of ammunition having a primer fuse as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, and at first to the construction illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 5, which illustrate a piece of ammunition having a shell casing with a projectile 11 with a stabilizing tail retained in the forward end thereof, a charge of propellent powder 12 fills the propellent powder chamber 17 of the shell casing 10. The open back end of the shell casing 10 is sealed by a frangible plastic disc 14 that is blown out when the shell is set ofi.

I have illustrated a piece of fixed ammunition according to my invention, that is, one in which the shell casing 10 remains in the fire arm. The invention, however, is not limited to fixed ammunition and could be applied to rocket type ammunition also, that is, ammunition wherein the casing that retains the propellent powder leaves the fire arm.

The invention primarily concerns the percussive or primer fuse structure. Figures 1 and 2 show the primer fuse construction in detail. It comprises a ring 15 located against the shoulder 16 of the propellent powder chamber 17 of the shell casing 10. The wall of propellent powder chamber 17 is formed with a continuous groove 18 which together with the outer surface of the ring 15 defines a percussive or primer material chamber. This latter chamber is filled with a primer material. The outside surface of the ring 15 is preferably formed with a raised anvil or rib 19 that extends therearound and enters into but does not fill the groove 18. The ring is also formed with a split as at 20a so that it can be compressed in diameter to permit the anvil 19 to enter the groove 18.

Two series of holes, one 20 on one side of the anvil 19, and the other 21 on the opposite side of the anvil 19, extend through the ring 15 to provide a communication between the primer fuse material chamber and the percussive fuse material chamber 17.

The forward inside edge of the ring 15 is chamfered as at 22.

In Figures 3 and 4, I illustrate a further embodiment of a fuse structure according to my invention. In this case, the ring 23 is also located against a shoulder as at 24 at the rear end of the shell casing 25 but it is formed with a continuous groove 26 in its outer surface, the bottom of which is formed with a continuous anvil 27. Ducts 13 lead from the groove 26 which, together with the interior walls of the shell 25, defines a priming fuse material chamber. This ring is also chamfered on its inside front edge as at 28. This fuse structure is incorporated into a casing of ammunition in a manner similar to the ring 15 as shown in Figure 5.

In this case the shell casing 25 is formed with a reduced thickness in the portion that overlies the groove 26 in the ring 23 as at 29.

In use, the shell shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5, operates in the following manner. The shell casing 10 is hit by the hammer of a fire arm in the breach of a gun at the point indicated by the numeral 30, that is, directly over the primer fuse material chamber. The percussion causes the primer fuse material in the chamber to explode and the gases from the explosion escape out of the holes 20 and 21 into the chamber 17 that is filled with a propellent powder 12. The propellent powder is ignited by the explosive gases from the percussive or primer fuse chamber and the explosion forces the projectile 11 from the forward end of the ammunition shell casing 10. At the same time, it blows the frangible disk 14 from the rear end of the shell.

The projectile 11 is rolled or cemented into position in the open forward end of the shell 10 and the plug 14 is rolled or cemented into position within the shoulder illustrated in the back open end of the shell 10. The strength of the securement or cementation of the projectile 11 is balanced against the strength of the securement or cementation of the plug 14, so that upon the occurrence of a burning of the propellent material in the propellent powder chamber 17 the plug 14 will break as the projectile is forced forward.

It will be noted that holes 20 and 21 do not extend over a substantial portion of groove 18 since if the gun hammer were to hit the casing entirely over a hole a sufiicient percussion to set off the primer fuse material would not result. The gun hammer should strike over the anvil 19.

The fuse structure illustrated in Figures 3 .and 4 operates in substantially the same manner except that the gases escape through passages 13 to the propellent powder chamber.

The forward ends of rings 15 and 23 are chamfered to facilitate the escape of gases from the propellent powder chambers rearwardly through the back opening of the shell after the disc 14 has been blown off.

The primer fuse material and propellent powder material are conventional and capable of wide variation. For a primer fuse one could use lead styphnate. For a propellent powder one could use cordite.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a piece of ammunition, a. cylindrical casing with a first chamber, a propellent powder in said first chamber, a ring member within said casing, the outer surface of said ring member embracing the inside wall of said propellent powder chamber, locating means for locating said ring member therein against displacement longitudinally thereof, the outer surface of said ring member being formed with a groove to define a second chamber to- 3 gether with the inside wall of said propellent powder chamber, a primer fuse material in said second chamber, said ring member being formed with passages extending from said first chamber toisaid second, chamber, said casing having rearward escape meansiffor 'gaseslgeneratea byfsaid propellent powder'upon ig tio n, saidiriilg member h-a'vin'ga'n internal, cliamferlonfthe edge adjacentft he.

front of said first casing.

2: A iece or ammunition as claimed in claim 1 m which the wall of said casing is formed of a reduced thickness-over said groove in said ririg.

3'."In' .a piece of ammunition, a cylindrical casing with a first chamber, a propellent powder in .said first chamber,

a ring member within said-casing, the outer. surface of said ring member embracing the inside wall of said propellent powder chamber, locating means for locating said ring member therein against longitudinal displacement thereof, the outer surface of said ring member being formed with a groove "to define a second chamber together.

with the inside 'wall of said propellentpowder chamber, a primer fuse material in said. second chamber, said ring member being formed with passages extending from said first chamber to said second chamber, said casing having rearward escape means for gases generatedby said pro.- pellent powder upon ignition, and ananvil 'in the bottom of said groove in said ring;

' 4. A piece of ammunitionv as claimed in claim 3 in which the wall of said casing is formedof a reduced thickness over said groove in saidring.

5. A piece of ammunition asclaimed in claim 1 in which the back end of said shell is frangible 'by.gasesgen.- erated by said propellent powder upon ignition.

6. In a piece of ammunition, a cylindrical casing with a first chamber, propellent ,powder in said first chamber, a ring member, theyouter surface of said ring member embracing the insidewall ofsaidpropellent powder chamber, a shoulder on the inside wall of said propellent powder chamber to locate said ring member longitudinally thereof, theinside wall of said first chamber being formed with a groove t'o'define a secondchamber in con; junction with theouter surface of thev said ring member,

a primer fuse materialin said second chamber, said. ring.

member being formed with passages extending from said second chamber to said first chamber, said casing having a. rearward escape means for gases 'gener-ateddby said propellent powder upon ignition.

7. A piece of ammunition as claimed in claim 6, in

Cir

to said first chamber comprise two series of holes extending from one surface of said ring to the other surface of said ring, each of said series extending around said ring and being in spaced parallel relation, one of said series being adjacent one edge of said groove in said first chamber and the other of said series being adjacent the other edge of said groove in said first chamber.

8. A piece of ammunition as claimed in claim 6, in which said passages extending from said second chamber to said. firstccharnberrcomprise two series of hq es extending from one surfaceofsaid ring to the other surface of said ring, each of said. series extending around said ring and being in spaced parallel relation, one of said series being adjacentone edge of said groove in said first chamber and the other .of said seriesbeing adjacent the other edge of said groove in said first chamber, and in which said ring has an anvil on the outer surface thereof between said two seriesof ho1es. v

9. A piece of ammunition according to claim 6, in which the forward-edge'of said ring is chamfered on its inner surface.

10. A piece of ammunition according to claim 6, in which said ring is formed with a projecting anvil that extends into said secondmentioned chamber, said ring being of a split construction whereby it can be. flexed to cause said anvil to enter said chamber.

11. In a piece of ammunition, a cylindrical casing with a first chamber, a propellent powder in said first chamber, a ring member within said casing, at least a portion of the outer surface of said ring member em-. bracing the inside wall of said propellent powder chamber, locating means for locating said ring member in .said propellent powder chamber against displacement longitudinally thereof, the outer surface of said ring member and the inside wall of said propellent. chamber being formed to define a second chamber therebetween, said second chamber being annular, a primer fuse material in said second chamber, saidring member being formed with passages extending from said first chamber to said second chamber, said casing having rearward escape means for gases generated by said propellent powder upon ignition.

References Cited-in the file of this patent Fowler Dec. 27, 1949, 

